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The Parks Commission will see three concept designs for Pontoosuc Lake Park next month based on input from public sessions held last fall.

Parks Commission Updated on Pittsfield's Outdoor Recreation Projects

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission on Tuesday received updates on various outdoor recreation projects happening within the city.

A bike skills track in Springside Park and a master vision for improvements at Pontoosuc Lake Park are on the horizon.

After a year of deliberating, the track's design was approved in December pending the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the commission and the Berkshire Chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association, who are paying for the project through fundraising.

Commissioner Anthony DeMartino reported that since the approval, there has been discussion between himself and the city Purchasing Agent Colleen Hunter-Mullett, City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta, and Park, Open Space and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath about the MOU.

DeMartino said they are making sure that every box is checked properly.

"I've said this before, and I know the commission stands behind the statement, that we want to get this right," McGrath added. "And so we're taking our appropriate amount of time to get all of those specifics answered by the Commonwealth, in particular."

The bike park will cover 2.3 acres on the former baseball field behind the north playground. An abutting location was originally proposed and approved but the commission later requested that it be moved south.

Its final design consists of an asphalt pump track, a skills development area, a flow zone, and a dual slalom course for head-to-head racing. In addition, there is also a picnic area and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance features throughout.

The proposal has been referred to as the "pump track" but in fact, that is only one of the four features in the design.

The revisioning of Pontoosuc Lake Park is now materializing into designs.

The commission will see three concept ideas for the park's master vision at its February meeting. Last week, McGrath received the schemes from Berkshire Design Group out of Northampton, which has been hired for the project.

The designs will be brought out to the community for feedback through a virtual or in-person information session depending on COVID-19 regulations. A final concept will be made based on the commission, stakeholder, and community input.


McGrath expects that the commission should be able to vote on a final concept in April and following that, funding will be sought for the first phase of improvements.

The city began the venture to transform the Pontoosuc Lake Park last year. The revisioning is part of a long-range open space and recreation plan for the city.

Planning elements include a new public beach, improved picnic area facilities, and better handicap accessibility.

An online survey was released during the month of September that queried the public on their current uses for the park and how it should look in the future. It generated 225 responses from residents and people living out of town.

In November, there were two public input sessions, one virtual and one in person.

The commission also got an update on how a new and long anticipated outdoor recreation facility is prospering.

Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Becky Manship said she was pleased to say that the city's dog park has been a great success since its opening in September.

There is a grand opening planned for May 14 to celebrate that has been in Pittsfield's long-range plan since 2003.  

After the park has been open for a full year, the city will be eligible for an $8,000 capital grant.  The funding is planned to be used on a new maintenance gate for the large dog area and an asphalt parking area.

McGrath stressed that the dog park is still open through the winter but that the gate to the parking lot is closed because the unpaved lot could be damaged by snowplows.

"The park has been wildly successful, and we're seeing it used all winter long, that's been the trend and what we're tracking," he said.

"Early on when we conceived the dog park, I don't think we had envisioned the amount of use that we're getting during the wintertime, so I think the facility begs for an asphalt formal parking area."


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Letter: What's Happening With Dalton's Finances?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

What's the problem? We are approaching our tax levy limit. As a result of rapid increases in spending over the last four years, Dalton's buffer before we reach our tax levy limit has dropped from $1,200,000 to $772,000 in 2023, which is OK, and likely to be approximately $140,000 in 2026, which is very concerning. If it gets to $0, the town of Dalton will have to cut services and reduce spending in many ways.

What is the levy limit? Proposition 2.5, which is part of Massachusetts law, says that the maximum amount a town can tax its residents (the levy limit) is 2.5 percent of the total assessed overall value of the homes in Dalton plus new growth. New growth in this town has been small for several years. In 2024 the total assessed value of all property was $895,322,865 so the total amount the town could raise from taxes is approximately $22.4 million. In 2024 the total amount of revenue collected was $21.2 million, which means we had $864,000 buffer that we could collect before reaching the levy limit. Each year the assessed value of homes increases, which in turn increases the levy limit and helps Dalton meet its ever-increasing obligations. Over the last four years, the increase in our town's expenses has been outpacing these increases, cutting into our buffer.

Does a Proposition 2.5 override save us? A Prop 2.5 override is intended for large capital purchases. It's like a mortgage, but town governments call them bonds. We did overrides for the new school, repairs to Town Hall and Dalton Division Road, which were then covered by bonds. But overrides are not helpful for annual expenses like salaries, benefits, supplies or any other expense. An override may help us not hit our levy limit, but it is still money that must be raised through taxes to pay for the debt, so it still appears in your taxes.

Speaking of taxes, do you know that if this year's proposed budget passes Dalton's resulting rate of approximately $18.13, which combines the town and fire district tax rates, will likely be one of the highest rates in Berkshire County? Do you know that if a new building is built that costs $15 million this would require a Proposition 2.5 override that would result in an average annual increase in our taxes of approximately $250 per household? If this bothers you, when the time comes you should vote!

What can we do?

Attend the annual town meeting on May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Wahconah Regional High School and VOTE. It might be a long evening but your vote on each item is extremely important in controlling costs and increasing the tools our town government has for the future.

To prepare for the meeting every Dalton resident who is concerned about their taxes and their town should read the annual Town Report, which contains all the financial and policy items that you will be asked to vote on at the meeting. The report will be dropped off at your door by the Boy Scouts on Saturday, April 19. If the report is not clear or, like many others, you have questions, I hope you all will feel comfortable stopping by and talking with me about them. Getting ahold of me is easy. I will be at my campaign office in the old bank across from the Town Hall each weekday from 4:30-6:00. I can also be reached on Facebook at William Drosehn Candidate or instant message me.

Please vote yes on Article 27 for the Capital Planning Committee.

Thank you!

William Drosehn

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